NASA has selected Garvey Spacecraft Corporation for a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II award that will fund development of the company’s nanosat launch vehicle. The award, which is as much as $700,000 for work lasting up to two years, will fund continued development of an alternative hydrocarbon propulsion system powered by liquid oxygen and propylene.

Earlier this month, Garvey Spacecraft was selected for a SBIR Phase I award for different work development on the same booster. The award, which has a maximum of $200,000, was for “the continued functional evolution and concept refinement of an incremental series of test vehicles” to serve the nano- and micro-sat launch markets.

The company’s initial goal is to deliver 10 kg payloads into a 250-km orbit. A larger version of the booster will be designed to place satellites weighing up to 20 kg into a 450-km orbit.